Possibilities and limitations of advanced transmission electron microscopy for carbon-based nanomaterials

• Xiaoxing Ke,
• Carla Bittencourt and
• Gustaaf Van Tendeloo

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2015, 6, 1541–1557, doi:10.3762/bjnano.6.158

• single-walled CNT (SWCNT) at atomic resolution using AC-TEM operated at 80 kV is able to reveal atomic displacements with picometer precision [60], as demonstrated in Figure 5a–d. The CNT is determined to have a chirality of (28,0) as shown in Figure 5b. By comparing to a simulated CNT with the same

• suggests a C–N bond [94]. Together with the help of first principles calculations, STEM–EELS further reveals the configurations of single N-substitutions in SWCNT as graphitic and pyrrolic [95]. A more striking result is reported in Si-doped graphene [96], in which a sp3-like trivalent Si substitute and a

• between energetic electrons and matter plays a unique role in triggering the reaction. Taking CNT growth as an example, the formation mechanism of CNTs was under debate for years until 2007, when Rodriguez-Manzo et al. monitored the nucleation and growth of a SWCNT through an in situ heating experiment

Low-cost formation of bulk and localized polymer-derived carbon nanodomains from polydimethylsiloxane

• Juan Carlos Castro Alcántara,
• Mariana Cerda Zorrilla,
• Lucia Cabriales,
• Luis Manuel León Rossano and
• Mathieu Hautefeuille

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2015, 6, 744–748, doi:10.3762/bjnano.6.76

• nanocrystals (GNC) are composing the shiny layers, whereas dark parts consist mainly of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNT) [14]. Selective laser ablation Selective and localized laser pyrolysis has also been tested to study the formation of nanodomains from PDMS in a controlled fashion, using a low-cost

Filling of carbon nanotubes and nanofibres

• Reece D. Gately and
• Marc in het Panhuis

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2015, 6, 508–516, doi:10.3762/bjnano.6.53

• electron irradiation [97]. This resulted in the growth of a SWCNT within the inner core of the MWCNT. Vapour-phase filling Filled SWCNTs and MWCNTs have been achieved by exposure to a metallic vapour. This resulted in metal nanowires within the core of the CNT [98][99][100][101]. A general summary of this

• found that the coronene had both coated the SWCNT, as well as filled it. In some instances, this annealing and vapour filling caused a structural change in the coronene (which formed dicoronylene, the dimer of coronene) or in the SWCNT itself (which produced a DWCNT at high temperatures). This effect

• delivery and medical imaging applications of SWCNT and MWCNTs have been identified, this line of research has only very recently emerged [117][118][119]. Further investigations into the selective binding of functional groups and various viruses or tumours could provide for an effective drug delivery system

Electrical response of liquid crystal cells doped with multi-walled carbon nanotubes

• Amanda García-García,
• Ricardo Vergaz,
• José F. Algorri,
• Xabier Quintana and
• José M. Otón

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2015, 6, 396–403, doi:10.3762/bjnano.6.39

• outstanding physical properties, CNTs have attracted a great deal of interest during the past 25 years [3][4][5][6]. They are formed from one or several rolled-up graphene sheets. CNTs show peculiar electrical properties: In single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNT), the conductivity is either metallic or

Exploiting the hierarchical morphology of single-walled and multi-walled carbon nanotube films for highly hydrophobic coatings

• Francesco De Nicola,
• Paola Castrucci,
• Manuela Scarselli,
• Francesca Nanni,
• Ilaria Cacciotti and
• Maurizio De Crescenzi

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2015, 6, 353–360, doi:10.3762/bjnano.6.34

• surfaces. Here, we report single-walled (SWCNT) and multi-walled carbon nanotube (MWCNT) thin films realized by a simple, rapid, reproducible, and inexpensive filtration process from an aqueous dispersion, that was deposited at room temperature by a dry-transfer printing method on glass. Furthermore, the

• investigation of carbon nanotube films through scanning electron microscopy (SEM) reveals the multi-scale hierarchical morphology of the self-assembled carbon nanotube random networks. Moreover, contact angle measurements show that hierarchical SWCNT/MWCNT composite surfaces exhibit a higher hydrophobicity

• (contact angles of up to 137°) than bare SWCNT (110°) and MWCNT (97°) coatings, thereby confirming the enhancement produced by the surface hierarchical morphology. Keywords: hierarchical structures; hydrophobic surfaces; multi-walled carbon nanotube; single-walled carbon nanotube; wetting transitions

Release behaviour and toxicity evaluation of levodopa from carboxylated single-walled carbon nanotubes

• Julia M. Tan,
• Jhi Biau Foo,
• Sharida Fakurazi and
• Mohd Zobir Hussein

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2015, 6, 243–253, doi:10.3762/bjnano.6.23

• , 43400 UPM Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia 10.3762/bjnano.6.23 Abstract This work explores the potential use of commercially obtained, carboxylated, single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNT–COOH) as nanocarriers for the antiparkinson drug, levodopa (LD). The resulting nanohybrid was characterized using

• materials characterization methods including Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, elemental analysis, UV–vis spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy. The results showed that SWCNT–COOH were able to form supramolecular complexes with LD via a π–π stacking interaction and

• exhibited favourable, slow, sustained-release characteristics as a drug carrier with a release period over more than 20 h. The results obtained from the drug release studies of LD at different pH values showed that the LD-loaded nanohybrid is pH activated. The release kinetics of LD from SWCNT–COOH were

X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy of graphitic carbon nanomaterials doped with heteroatoms

• Toma Susi,
• Thomas Pichler and
• Paola Ayala

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2015, 6, 177–192, doi:10.3762/bjnano.6.17

• all-metallic and all-semiconducting SWCNT buckypapers were reported in 2009 [37] (see Figure 2). A further advantage of this study was that both samples had narrow diameter distributions with the same mean, minimizing the variability of properties related to diameter. It was found that the C 1s line

• extensively studied heteroatom dopant for carbon nanomaterials. Stephan et al. pioneered the use of the arc-discharge technique for doping [23], followed by reports on the synthesis of nitrogen-doped multiwalled carbon nanotubes (N-MWCNTs) from several groups [108][109][110]. Successful nitrogen-doped SWCNT

• (N-SWCNT) synthesis was reported by Glerup et al. in 2004 by using arc discharge [111], later followed by laser ablation [112] and many different variations of chemical vapor deposition methods [113][114][115][116][117][118][119][120][121][122][123][124][125] (see also [33][34]). Nitrogen-doped

Nanobioarchitectures based on chlorophyll photopigment, artificial lipid bilayers and carbon nanotubes

• Marcela Elisabeta Barbinta-Patrascu,
• Stefan Marian Iordache,
• Ana Maria Iordache,
• Nicoleta Badea and
• Camelia Ungureanu

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2014, 5, 2316–2325, doi:10.3762/bjnano.5.240

• abbreviations used in this work are presented in Table 1. Preparation of the liposome/SWCNT biocomposites Small aliquots of a previously sonicated SWCNT stock suspension (0.9 mg/mL, in PB pH 7.4) were added to a liposome suspension and the resulting mixture was subjected to ultrasound treatment (Hielser

• ROS scavenging. The most potent biohybrids against oxidative attack of free radicals were found to be those with cholesterol (see sample V4), likely due to their better degree of SWCNT dispersibility and their high physical stability as compared to the cholesterol-free biohybrids (sample V3

Electrical contacts to individual SWCNTs: A review

• Wei Liu,
• Christofer Hierold and
• Miroslav Haluska

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2014, 5, 2202–2215, doi:10.3762/bjnano.5.229

• . The properties and quality of these electrical contacts are important for the function and performance of SWCNT-based devices. Since carbon nanotubes are quasi-one-dimensional structures, contacts to them are different from those for bulk semiconductors. Additionally, some techniques used in Si-based

• technology are not compatible with SWCNT-based device fabrication, such as the contact area cleaning technique. In this review, an overview of the investigations of metal–SWCNT contacts is presented, including the principle of charge carrier injection through the metal–SWCNT contacts and experimental

• achievements. The methods for characterizing the electrical contacts are discussed as well. The parameters which influence the contact properties are summarized, mainly focusing on the contact geometry, metal type and the cleanliness of the SWCNT surface affected by the fabrication processes. Moreover, the

Sequence-dependent electrical response of ssDNA-decorated carbon nanotube, field-effect transistors to dopamine

• Hari Krishna Salila Vijayalal Mohan,
• Jianing An and
• Lianxi Zheng

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2014, 5, 2113–2121, doi:10.3762/bjnano.5.220

• , Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates 10.3762/bjnano.5.220 Abstract Single-walled carbon nanotube (SWCNT)-based field-effect transistors (FETs) have been explored for use as biological/chemical sensors. Dopamine (DA) is a biomolecule with great clinical significance for disease diagnosis, however, SWCNT

• different bases in ssDNA, it is necessary to investigate the effect of sequence on the FET-based molecular recognition of DA. SWCNT FETs were decorated with homo- and repeated-base ssDNA sequences, and the electrical response induced by DA in the presence and absence of UA was gauged in terms of the

• GA > GT > AC > CT, for homo- and repeated-base sequences, respectively. The different response of various SWCNT–ssDNA systems to DA underlines the sequence selectivity, whereas the detection of DA in the presence of UA highlights the molecular selectivity of the ssDNA-decorated devices. Keywords

Effect of channel length on the electrical response of carbon nanotube field-effect transistors to deoxyribonucleic acid hybridization

• Hari Krishna Salila Vijayalal Mohan,
• Jianing An,
• Yani Zhang,
• Chee How Wong and
• Lianxi Zheng

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2014, 5, 2081–2091, doi:10.3762/bjnano.5.217

• .5.217 Abstract A single-walled carbon nanotube (SWCNT) in a field-effect transistor (FET) configuration provides an ideal electronic path for label-free detection of nucleic acid hybridization. The simultaneous influence of more than one response mechanism in hybridization detection causes a variation

• intrinsic effective mobility (µe) and device field-effect mobility (µf), two new parameters were defined to interpret the effect of L on the FET response to hybridization. Our results indicate that FETs with ≈300 µm long SWCNT exhibited the most appreciable response to hybridization, which complied with the

• from contaminants during signal analysis, which might affect the sensitivity and specificity of target detection. The efficacy of SWCNT-based FETs for hybridization detection depends on the number of hybridizations occurring on the SWCNT surface; therefore, it is important to understand the influence

Carbon-based smart nanomaterials in biomedicine and neuroengineering

• Antonina M. Monaco and
• Michele Giugliano

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2014, 5, 1849–1863, doi:10.3762/bjnano.5.196

• characterised and explored this phenomenon by culturing hippocampal neurons on pristine SWCNT-substrates. They also stimulated neurons electrically through the CNTs film and devised a mathematical model for the description of the electrical interface between neurons and CNTs. This work confirmed the improved

Non-covalent and reversible functionalization of carbon nanotubes

• Antonello Di Crescenzo,
• Valeria Ettorre and
• Antonella Fontana

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2014, 5, 1675–1690, doi:10.3762/bjnano.5.178

• the tube surface, and the consequent difference in the contacts between the molecule and the tube surface. The observed shift of the radial breathing mode (RBM) of the Raman band towards high frequency confirmed the strong π–π interactions between PAH and the external SWCNT surface. Wang et al

• π-stacking as no solvophobic forces can participate in the interactions with the SWCNT walls. This functionalization leaves virtually intact the inherent properties of SWCNTs, as observed by several photophysical measurements. Porphyrins (see Table 1) demonstrated [48] to physically adsorb onto the

• as Zn-phthalocyanine onto the surface of SWCNT to generate active hybrid materials able to give, by photoexcitation, a metastable radical ion pair state, namely oxidized ZnPc and reduced SWCNT [50]. Vaisman et al. [51] have demonstrated that the dispersion of CNTs in water-insoluble polymers is

An analytical approach to evaluate the performance of graphene and carbon nanotubes for NH₃ gas sensor applications

• Elnaz Akbari,
• Vijay K. Arora,
• Aria Enzevaee,
• Mohamad. T. Ahmadi,
• Mehdi Saeidmanesh,
• Mohsen Khaledian,
• Hediyeh Karimi and
• Rubiyah Yusof

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2014, 5, 726–734, doi:10.3762/bjnano.5.85

• first discovered by Sumio Iijima in 1991 [15] and have been extensively studied ever since. A single-walled carbon nanotube (SWCNT) is formed by rolling up a honeycomb lattice of a single atomic carbon sheet, i.e., graphene along a specific axis [16], known as chiral direction. The diameter of a typical

• SWCNT as: where Vgs is the gate–source voltage and Vt is the threshold voltage. Proposed model for graphene The underlying operational principle in MOSFET is based on the electron flow between the source and drain electrodes, which can be controlled by the gate voltage. According to Landauer formula

En route to controlled catalytic CVD synthesis of densely packed and vertically aligned nitrogen-doped carbon nanotube arrays

• Slawomir Boncel,
• Sebastian W. Pattinson,
• Valérie Geiser,
• Milo S. P. Shaffer and
• Krzysztof K. K. Koziol

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2014, 5, 219–233, doi:10.3762/bjnano.5.24

• , SWCNT arrays as less geometrically restricted ‘forests’ can be grown up to 1.64 × 1011 nanotubes per mm2 [59]. Moreover, for the N-CNTs grown in Synthesis V the highest Fe content was found, and in the SEM imaging (in which pre-ultrasonication was not required) the catalyst nanoparticles can be still

Functionalization of vertically aligned carbon nanotubes

• Eloise Van Hooijdonk,
• Carla Bittencourt,
• Rony Snyders and
• Jean-François Colomer

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2013, 4, 129–152, doi:10.3762/bjnano.4.14

Influence of the diameter of single-walled carbon nanotube bundles on the optoelectronic performance of dry-deposited thin films

• Kimmo Mustonen,
• Toma Susi,
• Antti Kaskela,
• Patrik Laiho,
• Ying Tian,
• Albert G. Nasibulin and
• Esko I. Kauppinen

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2012, 3, 692–702, doi:10.3762/bjnano.3.79

• resistances were affected by the bundle diameters, although they did play a secondary role by simply affecting the absorption. The individual SWCNT diameters and their graphitization level as gauged by the Raman D band intensity did not show any clear correlation with the overall performance. Keywords

• : bundle diameter; sheet resistance; SWCNT; thin film; transmittance; Introduction Single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNT) offer great application potential in future electronics, such as micro-electromechanical devices [1], sensors [2][3], transparent electrodes [4][5][6], thin-film field-effect

• performance. Structural features such as SWCNT length, degree of bundling, and bundle length, diameter and orientation have received less attention, despite the fact that the electrical resistance of a SWCNT network is thought to be dominated by intertube and interbundle contact resistances [6][12

Structural, electronic and photovoltaic characterization of multiwalled carbon nanotubes grown directly on stainless steel

• Luca Camilli,
• Manuela Scarselli,
• Silvano Del Gobbo,
• Paola Castrucci,
• Eric Gautron and
• Maurizio De Crescenzi

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2012, 3, 360–367, doi:10.3762/bjnano.3.42

• activity when they are deposited on a crystalline silicon substrate by the airbrush method. We recall that, while several efforts have been devoted to the build-up of photovoltaic devices based on a SWCNT–Si heterojunction, achieving a surprising efficiency of up to 11% [8], just a few works reported the